Shoe trimming machines



Dec. 25, 1962 M. H. RcsKE SHOE TRIMMING MACHINES Filed Feb. 15, 1962 3 Sheets-Sheet l fnven for Mlzon H Ros/ 9 By his Afior'ney M. H. ROSKE 3,069,705 SHOE TRIMMING MACHINES Dec. 25, 1962 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Feb. 15, 1962 Dec. 25, 1962 ROSKE SHOE TRIMMING MACHINES 3 Sheets-Sheet .3

Iiiii Filed Feb. 15, 1962 p rotates Patented Dec. 25, I962 3,069,705 SHOE TRIMMKNG MACHINES Milton H. RflSi @,'EOKf0ld, Mass, assignor to United Shoe Machinery Corporation, Fiemington, ELL, :1 corporation of New Jersey Filed Feb. 15, 1962, Ser. No. 173,577 8 Claims. (Cl. 12-.4.3)

This invention relates-to shoe machinery and particularly to machines for trimming surplus extensions from partially fabricated shoes. This application is a con- 'the line along which they are lasted or otherwise attached to an insole. In each of these instances, as well as in many others encountered in the manufacture of shoes,

surplus extensions of material must be trimmed or otherwise removed beforethe next shoemaking operation can begin.

It is an object of this invention to provide a machine for quickly and efficiently severing surplus extensions of material from partially fabricated shoes which requires minimum skill on the part of an operator.

While there have been many attempts to produce machinery toduplicate or improve upon hand operations in shoemakingthe value of such machinery is dependent not only upon its speed, which must be at least as fast as thehand method, but upon, the simplicity and economy 'of itsconstruction.

It is, therefore, another object of this invention to provide a machine for trimming surplusjportions from partially fabricated shoes which will operate faster than conventional hand methodsand which machine is inexpensive to build and to operate.

An excellent example of the need for trimming a surplus extension of material is found as a result of attachinga breast flap. A technique of manufacturing womens shoes having an integral outsole and breast flap which is becoming more prevalent involves securing the breast flap to the heel at the same time that the sole is cemented to the bottom of the shoe. The edge of the sole is subsequently set and the contiguous portion of the breast flap must be made to conform in a smooth, continuous line to the sole edge and to the edge of the heel. It is the usual practice-to sever this excess by hand which requires extreme skill to obtain the proper closeness and bevel without cutting or otherwise damaging the heel or upper material. Not only ,is extreme skill required to obtain the correct bevel at the lower portion of the heel, but also to blend the trimmed breast flap smoothly with the edge of the outsole at the shank area.

Accordingly, it is another object of this invention to provide a machinefor performing a breast flap trimming operation whichwill permit a semiskilled operator to produce a properly trimmed and beveled breast flap not only along the heel but along the shank portion of the shoe.

Another operation resulting in the formation of a surplus extension of material during shoe making results from the sewing of the inseam. In this operation'the upper material (with or without a liner) and the Welt are sewn to a rib extending from the sole attaching surface of an insole. The resultant inseam is a projection of substantially parallel layers extending upwardly from the insolewhen the shoe is held bottom upward. Before the outsole can be attached this extension must be trimmed off as close to the line of stitches as is possible. Thus, a similarity will be seen between the breast flap operation and the inseaming operation since a projecting extension of material is formed in both operations, which extensions must be trimmed as close to the shoe or heel as is possible.

Accordingly, it is still another object of this'invention to provide a machine which will permit a semiskilled operator to trim the inseam of a shoe with a minimum amount of skill required.

Prior attempts have been made to produce machinery in accordance with the above objects and'have resulted in machinery including knives which reciprocate in linear paths relatively to stationary anvil or .shearing members which engage either the shoe or the surplus extending material. Machines have also been built which employ curved oscillating knives which cooperate with stationary anvils or shear guides but in both types of machines difficulty arises in following the sharp contours of the shoe. A machine of this type will be seen in United States Patent No. 1,062,756, issued May 27, 1913 to H. A. Ballard. Furthermore, it requires extreme skill in guiding the shoe relatively to the anvil or shear guide to obtain the desired bevels.

In accordance with these objects and as a feature of the invention, applicant'has provided machines for trimming surplus extensions of material from partially fabricated shoes or heels or both which machines employ a trimming knife having a cutting edge formed at one end and which is reciprocated through an extremely short stroke but at a very high rate of speed to sever the surplus material. Cooperating with the knife is ashearing wheel of generally frusto-conical, outer configuration, the major periphery of which engages the surplus extension of material adjacent its intersection with the shoe or heel and provides thereby not only a guide for following the contour of the shoe .or heel but also offers resistance to the extension as theknife makes a trimming stroke. The shearing Wheel may also serve as a feeding instrumentality if power driven.

. The shearing wheel'has an interior annular depression formed in it. The depression includes an annular surface which extends substantially to the. periphery of the shearing wheel where it terminates in a circular edge. The annular surface and the periphery form between them an extremely thintapering wall concentric with the axis of rotation. The annular surface of the shearing wheelis complementary to the surface of the trimming knife and is initially adjusted into substantial shearing engagement with the knife. The stroke of the knife is adjusted so that its shearing edge never moves completely out of the annular depression in the shearing wheel and thereby does not chop the surplus material which would tendto decrease the eifective life of both the knife and the shearing wheel. As an optional feature, applicant has also provided a gage spaced laterally from the Wheel providinga gap to accommodate the surplus extension, the gage being bifurcated and extending on both sides of the oscillating knife in the direction of feed of the work.

The above and other features of the invention including various novel details of constructionand combinations of parts will now be more particularly described with reference to the accompanying drawings and pointed out in the claims. it will be understood that the particular machines embodying the invention are shown by way of illustration only. While the invention is shown embodied in both a breast flap trimmer and an inseam trimmer it is not limited to either since the principles and features of this invention may be employed in varied and numerans embodiments without departing from the scope of the invention.

In the drawings:

FIG. 1 is a side elevation, partly in section, on an enlarged scale of the operating instrumentalities of a breast flap trimming machine embodying the invention and showing a trimming knife at one end of its trimming stroke;

FIG. 2 is a fragmentary showing of the instrumentalities of FIG. 1 with the knife at the opposite end of its trimming stroke;

FIG. 3 is a sectional plan view taken along the line IIIIII of FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is a side elevation showing a supplemental gage in operative position relative to the operating instrumentalities;

FIG. 5 is a sectional view taken along the line V V of FIG. 4;

FIG. 6 is a side elevation, partly in section and similar to FIG. 1, showing an inseam trimmer embodying the invention; and,

FIG. 7 is a side elevation, partly in section, of the invention embodied in a somewhat different form of inseam trimmer.

The invention is illustrated as embodied in a breast flap trimming machine in FIGS. 1 to 5, the operating portion of which is shown in enlarged section in FIGS. 1 and 3. The machine employs a conventional base and head (not shown) and includes a bracket 2 which mounts the operating instrumentalities. Depending from the bracket 2 is a bifurcated bracket 4 between the legs of which is mounted a knife bracket 6. The bracket 6 pivots about a center 8 on a stud 10. A curved trimming knife 12 is mounted on the bracket 6 by a clamp 14 secured to the bracket by screws 16. To remove the knife for sharpening or adjustment, the screws 16 are loosened and the knife 12 removed from the clamp 14.

Oscillating motion is imparted to the knife by a connecting rod 18 which receives its motion from an eccentric drive or other conventional means (not shown). The connecting rod is secured to the bracket 6 by a stud 20 and is held thereto by a snap ring 22. In one illustrative form of the invention, the knife is oscillated through a stroke of .054 inch at a rate of approximately six thousand strokes per minute.

Cooperating with the knife 12 is a shearing wheel 24 freely rotatable on a stud 26 threaded in the lower end of a bracket 28. The bracket is adjustably secured by a slot and screw connection 30 to the main bracket 2. The shearing wheel is generally frusto-conical in over-all configuration, although it comprises a plurality of conical and cylindrical surfaces. The periphery 32 of the shearing wheel is engageable with the edge e of the heel H adjacent its intersection with the surplus extension of the breast flap F. Being freely rotatable and of a diameter of the general order of magnitude of the mean diameter of the heel, the shearing wheel provides a rotatable guide which provides simple and accurate means for following the intersection of the edge e and the flap F, particularly in the shank area of a heel which has a small radius of curvature as Well as adjacent the attached top lift T.

The shearing wheel has an interior concave portion or depression 34 concentric with its axis of rotation A. The depression 34 includes a concave surface 36 extending to the periphery 32 of the shearing wheel. The surface 36 is annular, being generated about the axis A of the shearing wheel 24, and extends to the periphery 32 at an acute angle. Together with the periphery 32 it forms a thin wall member which, in transverse section, tapers to a substantial point at the intersection of the edge e and the flap F, thereby assuring an extrememly close trim. The intersection of the surface 36 and the periphery 32 forms a circular shear edge 33 lying in a plane P. The surface 36 in transverse section is complementary to the convex surface 38 of the knife and in the initial position of adjustment is in substantial shearing engagement therewith. Thus, the shearing wheel not only offers resistance to the breast flap material during trimming but also lends support and rigidity to the knife blade.

The knife has formed on it a sharp cutting edge 40 adjacent its free end which edge is formed at an oblique angle with the plane P containing the periphery of the shearing wheel 24, which plane is defined by the circular intersection of the surface 36 with the periphery 32. It will be obvious that the cutting edge 40 is also formed at an oblique angle to the plane in which the knife oscillates. The stroke of the knife is adjusted so that the cutting edge extends transversely of the plane P and so that at least a portion of the cutting edge 40 of the knife at all times is within the concave portion 34 of the shearing wheel. In its most withdrawn position, as seen in FIG. 2, the knife will be seen within the concave portion of the shearing wheel as well as in the FIG. 1 position which represents the most advanced position of the knife. Because of this, the knife never chops into the breast flap.

Initially the height of the shearing wheel is adjusted by the slot and screw connection 30 so that there is shearing engagement between the surface 38 of the knife and the surface 36 of the shearing wheel. However, it will be obvious that as normal wear takes place, a minute but finite gap may develop between these members which, mechanically, is not the optimum desirable condition. The members nevertheless will still be in substantial shearing engagement.

It will be obvious that with the shoe held in the position shown in the drawings, a bevel B is formed along the trimmed breast flap and the angle of the bevel may be changed-by varying the angle at which the shoe is presented to the machine. However, since the edge 33 of the shearing wheel formed by the periphery 32 and the surface 36 is subtsantially a thin wall blade, varying the angle of presentation does not substantially alter the closeness of the trim which would otherwise be the case if the aforementioned rigid and thick anvil members were employed. As will be seen in FIGS. 1 and 4, the surplus extension F of the breast flap is illustrated deflected away from the heel. This deflection in no way is caused by the trimming instrumentalities but is shown to illustrate a natural condition which may occur.

As auxiliary equipment for use with the machine, there is provided a gage 44 (FIGS. 4 and 5) which is adjustably secured to the bracket 2 by any convenient means (not shown). The gage is spaced from the plane P of the shearing wheel an amount sufficient to accommodate between it and the wheel the surplus extension of the flap. The gage has a bifurcated lower end 46 with legs 48, 50 which straddle the knife and engage the breast flap below the knife which is the portion cemented to the heel. The gage tends to straighten the surplus portion from the FIG. 1 position to the position shown in FIG. 4 providing better visibility while at the same time its lower end engages the secured portion of the breast flap. The gage is particularly useful in assisting a new operator in getting the feel of the machine and obtaining the proper angle of the bevel B.

FIG. 6 shows the invention embodied in an inseam trimmer. The trimming instrumentalities include a knife 12 and a shearing wheel 24 identical with those shown in FIG. 1. Furthermore, the operating instrumentalities, including the connecting rod 18 and the shearing wheel supporting bracket 28, etc., are also identical, the common reference characters in FIGS. 1 and 6 referring to like parts.

The construction of the inseam of the usual welted shoe in bottom up position is also shown in FIG. 6. The following elements are included: a last 52, an insole 54, a welt 56, a preformed insole rib 58, a lining 60, an upper 62 and a line of stitches 64 that form the actual inseam joint. Before an outsole can be secured to the welt and the insole the surplus extension of the inseam extending above the stitch line 64 must be severed.

The knife 12 and the shearing wheel 24 cooperate in exactly the same manner as they do when severing excess portions of a breast flap. It will be noted, however, that in the inseam trimmer shown in FIG. 6 the shearing wheel 24, instead of being freely rotatable, as in the breast flap trimmer, is power driven. The wheel is attached to a shaft 66 journaled in the bracket 28 and driven by a belt 68 which passes around a pulley 70 secured to the shaft 66. Thus, the shearing wheel 24 in addition to being a shearing member and a guiding member also is a work feeding member.

The gage 44 shown in FIGS. 4 and 5 may obviously be employed in the inseam trimming machine of FIG. 6 and will operate in the same manner as the gage employed in the breast flap trimmer. It may be desirable, however, to shape the work contacting legs 48 and 50 to conform to the outboard or external surfaces of the welt and inseam.

FIG. 7 shows the invention embodied in an inseam trimmer of the type resembling the well-known Goodyear machinev In this type of machine the shoe is fed by the cooperative action ofa feed wheel and a welt crease guide supplemented by a rib guide. It will be seen in FIG. 7 that the shearing wheel 24a engages the sole attaching surface of the welt which is pressed upwardly against it by a conventional yieldable welt crease guide 74. A rib guide 76 may also optionally be employed in its conventional manner. The only difference between the machines in FIGS. 6 and 7 is that the shearing wheel of the FIG. 7 machine engages the exterior or outboard portion of the shoe, i.e. welt and inseam, and the oscillating knife 12 is located more or less above the interior of the shoe, i.e., above the insole 54. The operation of the shearing members is identical with those illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 6.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is:

1. A machine for trimming surplus extensions of material from partially fabricated shoes having, in combination, a shearing wheel having an annular blade portion comprising inner and outer surfaces tapering to a circular edge engageable with the surplus extension adjacent its intersection with the shoe, a trimming knife having a diagonal cutting edge at one end, and means for reciprocating the knife in substantial shearing engagement with the inner surface of the annular blade portion of the wheel.

2. A machine for trimming surplus extensions of material from partially fabricated shoes having, in combination, a shearing Wheel having an annular blade portion comprising inner and outer surfaces tapering to a circular edge engageable with the surplus extension adjacent its intersection with the shoe, a trimming knife having a diagonal cutting edge at one end, and means for reciprocating the knife with at least a portion of the diagonal cuttingedge at all times extending transversely of the plane containing said circular edge and in substantial shearing engagement with the inner surface of the annular blade portion of the wheel.

3. A machine for trimming surplus extensions of ma terial from partially fabricated shoes having, in combination, a shearing wheel engageable with the shoe adjacent the surplus extension with said surplus extension projecting inwardly of the circumferential periphery of the wheel, an interior annular depression formed in the wheel concentric with the axis of rotation and having an annular surface extending substantially to said periphery, a trimming knife having a surface complementary to the transverse section of the annular surface extending to the periphery, a cutting edge adjacent one end of the knife intersecting the complementary surface, and means for reciprocating the knife with at least a portion of the cutting edge of the knife at all times within the concave depression of the wheel and in substantial shearing engagement with said annular surface extending to the periphery.

4. A machine for trimming surplus extensions of material from partially fabricated shoes having, in combination, a substantially frusto-conical shearing wheel, the major periphery of said wheel being engageable with the shoes adjacent the surplus extension with said surplus etxension projecting inwardly of said periphery, an interior annular depression formed in the wheel concentric with the axis of rotation and having an annular surface extending substantially to said periphery, a trimming knife having a convex surface complementary to the transverse section of the annular surface extending to the periphery, a cutting edge adjacent one end of the knife intersecting the convex surface, and means for oscillating the knife about a center spaced from the wheel with at least a portion of the cutting edge in substantial shearing engagement with said contiguous portion of the concave surface.

5. A machine for trimming surplus extensions of material for partially fabricated shoes having, in combination, a shearing wheel engageable with the shoe adjacent the surplus extension with said surplus extension projecting inwardly of the circumferential periphery of the wheel, an interior annular depression formed in the wheel concentric with the axis of rotation and having an annular surface extending substantially to said periphery and forming therewith a circular edge, a curved trimming knife, a cutting edge on the knife formed at an oblique angle with the plane containing said circular edge, and means for oscillating the knife about a center spaced from said wheel and with said cutting edge extending transversely of said plane.

6. A machine for trimming surplus extensions of material from partially fabricated shoes having, in combination, a substantially frusto-conical shearing wheel, the major periphery of said wheel being engageable with the shoe adjacent the surplus extension with said surplus extension projecting inwardly of said periphery, an interior annular depression formed in the Wheel concentric with the axis of rotation and having an annular surface extending substantially to said periphery, a trimming knife having a surface complementary to the transverse section of the annular surface extending to the periphery and forming therewith a circular edge, a cutting edge adjacent one end of the knife intersecting the complementary surface and forming an oblique angle with the plane containing said circular edge, and means for reciprocating the knife with at least a portion of the cutting edge of the knife at all times within the concave depression of the wheel and in substantial shearing engagement With said annular surface extending to the periphery.

7. A machine for trimming surplus extensions of material from partially fabricated shoes having, in combination, a shearing wheel enga eable with the shoe adjacent the surplus extension with said surplus extension projecting inwardly of the circumferential periphery of the Wheel, an interior depression formed in the wheel concentric with the axis of rotation and having an annular surface extending substantially to said periphery, a trimming knife having a convex surface complementary to the transverse section of said annular surface, a cutting edge adjacent one end of the knife intersecting the convex surface, means for reciprocating the knife with at least a portion of the cutting edge of the knife at all times within the concave depression of the wheel and in substantial shearing engagement with said annular surface extending to said periphery, and a gage spaced laterally from said Wheel an amount at least equal to the thickness of the surplus extension thereby to provide a support for said surplus extension.

lating the knife about a center spaced from the wheel with at least a portion of the cutting edge of the knife at all times within the depression of the wheel and in substantial shearing engagement with said annular surface extending to the periphery, and a gage spaced laterally from said Wheel an amount sufiicient thereby to provide a support [or the surplus extension, said gage having a bifurcated lower end extending on both sides of said knife.

No references cited. 

